Mass chaos broke out at the Art All Night Trenton 2018 festival in the early morning hours on Sunday when two reported gunmen opened fire, injuring 22 adults and children.
The New Jersey art festival, a 24-hour venue held at the Roebling Wire Works Building on the 600 block of South Clinton Avenue, has since closed down early following the shootings so that officials can conduct their investigation.
“We’re still processing much of this and we don’t have many answers at this time, but please know that our staff, our volunteers, our artists and musicians all seem to be healthy and accounted for. Our sincere, heartfelt sympathies are with those who were injured,” festival organizers said on Facebook.
Around 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, two unidentified gunmen went on a shooting spree in an area where roughly 1,000 people were taking in the sights of artwork in various mediums.
“All of a sudden, my brother goes to me, ‘You hear that gunfire?’ I go, ‘It sounds like fireworks.’ He said, ‘No, that’s gunfire.’ Next thing you know, we turn around and everybody’s running down the street. All hell broke loose,” Angelo Nicolo told Action News.
According to CNN, one of the suspects, identified as a 33-year-old man, was reportedly killed by police. The second suspect is believed to be in police custody.
Multiple weapons were confiscated by police at the scene.
“It absolutely could have been worse given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired,” Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said.
Investigators believe that the shooting at the NJ Art Festival was due to a neighborhood dispute and is not an act of terrorism.
All but five of the shooting victims are said to be in stable condition after suffering from gunshot wounds and were transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center and St. Francis Medical Center.
Four victims are listed in critical condition, while one victim, a 13-year-old, has been listed in extremely critical condition, Prosecutor Angelo Onofri reported.
